Rethinking the Blues: How We Police in the U.S. and at What Cost

• NCJ Number: 242606
• Author(s): Paul Ashton; Amanda Petteruti; Nastassia Walsh
• Date Published: May 2012
• Length: 66 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Public Welfare Foundation; Open Society Foundation
• Corporate Author: Justice Policy Institute
• Sale Source: Justice Policy Institute
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper develops the argument that with violent and property crime declining, police have turned their resources to arrests of individual drug users, leading to the increased imprisonment of drug users who are disproportionately from racial and ethnic minorities; an alternative use of police resources is proposed.

Abstract

The combined numbers of police, encouraged by Federal funding and the promotion of aggressive policing that increases arrests and subsequent incarceration, has increased the costs and reduced the effectiveness of law enforcement in implementing community-based, collaborative policing efforts. By focusing on arrests for drug-law violations, inadequate resources are available for crime prevention, police diversion to treatment, and police as educators in public safety. This report does not argue that the enforcement of laws by police should not be a high priority nor that some communities are not seriously harmed by crime. The principal argument of this paper is that communities and the Federal Government should reconsider how much is being spent on what type of policing and whether existing policing patterns are cost-effective. Eight principles are discussed in guiding this assessment. First, expenditures, not crime, drive increases in police forces and arrests. Second, more police do not necessarily keep us safer. Third, violent and property crime rates have declined 47 percent and 43 percent since 1991, but arrests have not declined, especially for drug offenses. Fourth, militaristic policing does more harm than good, resulting in corruption, deaths of innocent people, wrongful convictions, and the disproportionate arrest of people of color. Fifth, some communities are disproportionately affected by policing; people of color and lower income communities have a higher likelihood of police contact. Sixth, the negative effects of over-policing with a punitive, militaristic style require more resources but do not yield greater benefits in public safety. Seventh, community-supportive and supported policing protects public safety without the negative side effects. Eighth, more spending on policing means fewer resources available for other public safety strategies that are more effective. 17 figures, 2 tables, and 250 notes